Daniel 4:14
He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:
The great tree is Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom in its God-given greatness and prosperity, reaching to heaven in vainglory while nations dwelt in peace under its shelter. The loud cry is the decree of a holy Watcher come down from heaven, commanding that the tree be hewn down, stripped of branches, leaves and fruit, and forsaken by the beasts and birds that fed beneath it. Its felling was the taking of reason, judgment and rule from the king, driving him from men to dwell with beasts and eat grass like oxen for seven years, until he learned that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men and gives it to whom He will. The Watcher guards the interests of all men, present in every assembly and secret council, seeing and weighing every word, act, motive and whisper of self-gratulation in view of judgment. It is a fixed rule that punishment surely follows indulged pride, for God brings down what pride exalts and will not sustain men lifted up in self-trust, but teaches utter weakness and need of divine aid that the Lord alone may be exalted.
Tree Felled in Judgment
The great tree is Nebuchadnezzar himself and his kingdom, his sovereignty and greatness and prosperity, firmly established among loyal subjects with the nations gathered in peace under his rule. It is a tree reaching to heaven in vainglory, for the king placed a high estimate on his own human ability and did not reckon God as the source of his strength and ability. The loud cry is the decree of a heavenly Watcher, a messenger and holy one come down from heaven. He commands that the tree be hewn down, its branches cut off, its leaves shaken off, its fruit scattered, and the beasts and birds that sheltered and fed under it be driven away. Their dispersal is the loss of those who depended on his rule.
The dream was a further warning given after earlier light had been lost. God had first shown Babylon as the head of gold in the image, then delivered the three Hebrews who refused to worship the golden image set up on the plain of Dura, when One like the Fourth was with them in the furnace, so that the king acknowledged the living God, yet he did not continue to walk in the light and lost the holy impression made on his mind. Though the greatest and most powerful ruler of his time, with prosperity and kingdom given him by God for God's glory and designated head of gold, he turned aside to the imaginations of his proud heart to make his kingdom more extensive and powerful. The magicians, astrologers, soothsayers and Chaldeans could not make the dream known, because those who do not love and fear God cannot understand heavenly mysteries nor approach Him who dwells in unapproachable light, to whom the things of God are mysteries of mysteries.
The dream laid out his future history in clear lines, but after the warning was treated as commonplace he was tested for twelve months while his actions were weighed in the balances of the sanctuary in heaven. The sentence was pronounced the instant the king proudly exclaimed over great Babylon built by his own power for his majesty. Then swelling self-importance brought the voice from heaven that the kingdom was departed from him.
The felling means the Lord removed his God-given ability, reason, judgment and wisdom, uprooted him, and brought his ambitious projects to confusion. Sceptre and crown were taken from his hand, the jewel of the mind that lifts man above the beasts was lost, and the mighty ruler became as a maniac herding with cattle. He was driven from men to dwell with the beasts of the field, eating grass like oxen and wet with the dew of heaven, with shelter, fruit, dependents and rule taken away. Daniel, to whom Nebuchadnezzar told the dream for interpretation, was troubled by its significance and told him he would remain so until seven times passed over him, till he knew that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men and gives it to whomsoever He will. He remained in that condition for seven years, and afterward came miraculous restoration and conversion.
God Watches and Rules
The Watcher who speaks the decree guards the interests of all men and is present in every assembly, council and committee, both secret and open, and in a special sense where men with great light and great opportunities represent God. No person and no work escapes Him, for every word, action, plan and secret motive is observed and weighed, no thought of the heart is unnoted, His ear hears even secret whisperings of self-gratulation, and both self-denial and covetousness are recorded in heaven. What men entrust to Him they must account for, and character itself is weighed in view of judgment. His warnings expose the results of human choices, reading and measuring men lest those who measure character and climb upon the judgment seat to pass sentence on others make grievous mistakes.
The decree against the tree shows that even heathen kings are held subject to His will, and that He deals with idolaters according to their evil ways and deeds. By bringing down what pride exalts He magnifies Himself as the true and living God, revealing Himself as Lord over all His creatures and works who will not be trifled with. He chastises His people not merely to separate sin from the sinner but by His own light to reveal the sin that led the soul away from God and would be its ruin unless corrected.
The seven times bounded by that decree is a period fixed in prophecy, once future, which was fulfilled in accordance with its prediction.
The cutting down of the tree representing his kingdom points beyond him to the falling of earthly kingdoms until God establishes an everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed. The very explicit dream was meant to lead him to trace out the end of all earthly things and the setting up of God's kingdom, for his prosperity and kingdom had been given him by God and he had been designated the head of gold. Those who do not love and fear God cannot understand such mysteries of the kingdom of heaven nor approach Him who dwells in light unapproachable, to whom the things of God are mysteries of mysteries.
Pride Brings Certain Downfall
It is a fixed rule that punishment surely follows wherever pride is indulged, for God brings down what pride exalts and will not sustain and keep from falling those lifted up in pride. The mandate went forth the instant Nebuchadnezzar proudly exclaimed over great Babylon built by his power for his majesty, commanding that the lofty tree symbolizing the prosperous king under whose sovereignty nations dwelt in peace be felled, its branches cut off, its leaves shaken off and its fruit scattered. That felling meant the reason, judgment and wisdom God had given him were taken away, the jewel of the mind that elevates man above beasts was lost, sceptre and crown were gone from his hand, blessings bestowed were removed, and the mighty ruler was degraded, driven from men to herd with cattle and feed as cattle feed among the beasts of the field. He had placed a high estimate on his own human ability, trusted in self and human strength and did not consider God as his source of strength, and he was taught his utter weakness and need of divine aid to show that the Lord alone is to be exalted rather than human wisdom, talents, or anything but Christ and Him crucified.
The same uprooting will surely be fulfilled upon those with great light who through unholy confederacy sustain and influence one another to do what God warned them not to do. It will fall upon those who grasp every dollar they can in connection with God's cause to carry out ambitious projects, for the Lord would remove ability and kingdom, uproot them and bring ambitious projects to confusion, and they will be overcome by bribes. The dream had laid out future history in clear lines, yet after the warning was treated as commonplace there was a twelve-month testing while actions were weighed in the balances of the sanctuary in heaven, until swelling self-importance over Babylon built by his own power brought the voice from heaven that the kingdom was departed, showing God as Lord over all creatures and works who will not be trifled with. Yet if such repent and humble their hearts before God and make Him their trust to do justice and judgment, there is pardon, peace, acceptance, and another trial and proving.
A church become proud and boastful and not depending on God will surely be left by the Lord to be brought down, and a people glorying in wealth, intellect, knowledge, or anything but Jesus Christ will soon be brought to confusion. The command to hew down the tree and cut off its branches goes forth in sudden divine judgment against false worshippers in the fallen churches today who indulge a false hope while loudest in its praise. They claim to be Christians when hearts are set on worldly pleasure and worldly gain, but a divine Witness is present in all scenes of mirth and revelry and in a moment can change the features of the scene, even as He did on the night of Belshazzar's sacrilegious feast.
The same Watcher who denounced the king of Babylon writes every action of life and waits to see if He must speak the same cutting-down sentence against an unrepentant man. Daniel interpreted the dream of the great tree to mean the king would be driven from men to dwell with beasts of the field, eat grass like oxen and be wet with dew of heaven until seven times passed over him till he knew that the Most High rules in kingdoms of men and gives it to whom He will, and exhorted him to break off sins by righteousness and iniquities by showing mercy to the poor if tranquility might be lengthened, but the light was not accepted and foretold judgments came. Unless a man rules passions and appetite, hides self in God, rights cruel wrongs to wife and children as far as possible and shows mercy, he will be cut down, lose heaven, never receive the seal of the living God, and will be dealt with without sympathy, mercy or compassion.
The holy Watcher comes down from heaven with a decree against pride, guards the interests of all men, sees every person and work, notes every thought of the heart, hears secret whisperings of self-gratulation, and is present in all assemblies, councils, committees and secret as well as open councils, in a special sense where those with great light represent God, reading and measuring men. He requires a different spirit to control proceedings than selfishness, self-exaltation and pomposity, which God abominates. Those who take a measuring line to measure character and climb upon the judgment seat to pass sentence on others must remember Him and humble their hearts lest they make grievous mistakes, for those who turn from His word to human ideas and plans injure all within their sphere and develop character that cannot find place among the redeemed, and He will not long bear such perversity. His judgment answers the sin of pride that puts self where God should be with the retribution of degradation in taking away reason, chastising not merely to separate sin from the sinner but by His own light to reveal the sin that led the soul away and would be its ruin unless corrected.
The hewing down is the humbling of one who exalted and magnified himself and exercised supremacy and authority over God's heritage that was not given him. His pride is seen in requiring everyone to understand and carry out his mind, in investigating and criticizing and condemning work in different places unless it meets his ideas, and in making laws and pledges for the future. It warns those leading sanitarium and medical missionary work not to act that part but to allow workers to advance in knowledge and simplicity without harassment, drawbacks and discouragements. Neglect of heaven-sent instruction brings calamity after failure to respond obediently to light given, for lessons God gives to lead to reform bring judgment when not received and practiced, and those who receive light will either change course or the work of the Lord will become less and less palatable until finally set aside.